Unicorn hunters, swipe left: The best dating apps for bi people

Find safe spaces to meet people who get it.
By Anna Iovine  on 
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Overview

Our top pick

OkCupid

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PROMOTED
For those looking for sex

AdultFriendFinder

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Best bisexual dating app for queer men

Archer

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Best bisexual dating app for queer women

HER

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Best bisexual dating app for millennials

Hinge

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Best bisexual dating app if you're newly out

Tinder

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Best Tinder alternative

Bumble

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Best LGBTQ+ social app

Lex

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Table of Contents

Dating as a bisexual person is more than checking off men, women, and people beyond the binary in your "Show Me" settings on Tinder. Especially when it comes to dating apps, it can involve speaking with people who believe stereotypes about bisexual people (such as that they can't be monogamous), or people who fetishize them (like unicorn hunters — more on them below). While the assumption is that bisexual people have double — or more! — the options of monosexual (straight and gay) folks, the reality is that if someone's match doesn't understand their sexuality, they face rejection. 

As bisexual Reddit users will tell you, if anyone on a dating app has a problem with your bisexuality, they're telling you who they are from the get-go — and that's the beauty of dating apps. There's no need to go on several dates before the truth comes out; you can figure it out from the safety of your home.

Not all is lost, though. You can find plenty of open and accepting people on dating apps, as well, and many of them — from Hinge to HER — allow users to specify whether they're bisexual. But which dating app to choose?

What is the best bisexual dating site?

It depends. There's no doubt that the most mainstream dating apps like Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble cater to a heterosexual audience. If you don't mind that — or, as a bisexual, you're more into dating other genders at the current moment anyway — you might enjoy those apps more. As those apps have a more general appeal and are well-known, they also have more users than apps that cater to the queer community. (Then again, that could be because the queer community is smaller than the straight one.)

You may, however, want an app that is more LGBTQ-focused. There's HER which is for the sapphic community (women who love women), and Archer which is more focused on men who love men, to name a couple. 

There are a handful of smaller dating apps that are purely for bisexual daters: BiCupid and Bindr (if this isn't your first dating app rodeo, you can tell where they got their names). The former boasts over three million downloads on its website, but the App Store reviews don't paint the best picture. The latest complaints are about getting suspended once downloading the app, not enjoying the user experience, and not thinking the $30/month subscription is worth it. 

In an email to Mashable, BiCupid confirmed that it offers numerous features to free users like browsing profiles, sending likes and "winks," setting basic filters, and responding to private messages. Any member can share daily activities with "Moments," and comment, like, and reply to posts without restrictions.

BiCupid also acknowledged that finding nearby matches can be a challenge in less-populated areas, and the app is working to expand its user base and improve the matching algorithm. In terms of fraud accounts, reported activities are reviewed manually by a team.

Bindr has more positive reviews on the App Store, but these reviews are fewer and far between. Bindr's CEO and co-founder Mary Richardson told Mashable in an email that they have hundreds of thousands of users and millions of unique visitors/downloads. Due to Redditors saying that there aren't many people on Bindr, however, it's not on our list at this time. 

Consider whether you're looking for something more long or short term, as well. Hinge has a reputation for being a relationship-focused app, for example, while Tinder is more well-known for hookups. Of course, that's not always the case (people have found their spouses on Tinder and hookups on Hinge), but adjust your expectations accordingly. 

Dating as an out bisexual person

If you fear being "queer enough" to put "bisexual" in your dating app bio, don't. Dating apps can be a way to explore your sexuality, and it can feel lower-key than going to a gay club or coming out to your loved ones. As executive director of the Kinsey Institute, Justin R. Garcia, told Mashable in a story about women discovering their queerness using these apps, dating apps "allow people to dream" in an "unprecedented" way, offering "a window into a world of possibility." This possibility could be dating as an out and proud bisexual person!

Know about the risks going into it: stereotypes, fetishization, and the overall safety precautions every dating app user should take. If you're aware of these factors ahead of time, dating as someone who likes multiple genders can be fun. 

With that being said, here are the best dating apps for bisexual people. 

Our Pick

Who it's for:

OkCupid targets more open-minded, sex-positive users for whom political leanings are a huge factor in a potential relationship. OkCupid's redesign is more than just Gen Z/millennial aesthetics: It's geared toward ensuring that you don't end up on a date with someone who doesn't respect your values or your sexuality. The addition of 22 gender identities and 20 sexual orientations (including those we haven't seen included on any other apps, like "homoflexible," "akiosexual," and "recipromantic") also makes it a safer space for non-binary and queer individuals to find love while using the identifiers that best fit them.

Why we picked this:

OkCupid's overall open-mindedness seems to be translating to the experience that bi people have on the site.

"I love OkCupid because of the demographic it appeals to," LMFT relationship therapist and writer at sugar daddy site Private Sugar Club, Hannah Reeves, told Mashable. "I usually recommend it to people who are tired of the boring dating app banter and want something deeper. It's the personality quizzes and match filters that make it ideal for finding someone who shares your love of vegan or hatred of socks in bed. The kind of questions people are answering makes it clear from the start if you’re vibing or not."

Another therapist also sang OkCupid's praises. "In my opinion, the best dating app for bisexuals is OkCupid," Dr. Frankie Bashan, board-certified sex therapist, clinical psychologist, and founder of matchmaking service Little Gay Book told Mashable. "It allows users to specify their specific preferences including multiple sexual orientations and gender preference options. It also offers a free version where you can still engage and meet like-minded people if you’re not ready to become a paid member."

But what do users think? Megan from VA noticed that, compared to Tinder and Hinge, she received the least amount of gross messages from guys about her sexual experiences on OkCupid. Though she found her current partner on Tinder, she liked OkCupid the most:

"I like that the profiles were longer and I could see how they answered some questions that could be important to me before I even messaged them. That meant that if I didn’t agree with someone on a make or break issue to me, I could just not message them before putting the time into talking to them and learning that later."

Politics aren't the only compatibility factor here. OKCupid has in-depth user bios, but profile-building isn't long or tedious at all. You'll even get to see the percentage of how much you have in common with other daters based on the questions you both answer. It's an algorithm that OKC has been perfecting since its launch — and we love it for that.

Read our full review of OkCupid.

The Good

The Bad

Details

A drawn hand holding a phone with the AdultFriendFinder logo
PROMOTED

AdultFriendFinder

For those looking for sex

The Good

The Bad

Details

A drawn hand holding a phone with the archer logo

Archer

Best bisexual dating app for queer men

Who it's for:

Archer is the best dating app for bisexual and queer men who are looking for more than a one-night stand. Its "social-first" approach encourages users to join a community rather than solely focusing on hookups. (If you're a queer man looking for a quickie, we recommend using Grindr or Scruff instead.)

Owned by Match Group, Archer is unique in that it has a comprehensive in-app Health Hub where users can learn more about PrEP, how to talk about HIV, and get access to resources for sexual health and mental well-being.

Why we picked this:

Archer may be a newer app, but it's definitely more bi-friendly than its NSFW competitors. The app's focus on community-building and promoting healthy conversations about sexual health sets it apart from the hookup apps, and it's a safe place for bi guys to look for a relationship with guys who get it. This inclusive environment also makes it easier for HIV-positive users to, at the very least, feel open to starting a conversation about their status.

Not only is Archer completely free to download and use (which is a major plus for many), but it's also backed by Brooklyn's resident bi-man Zachary Zane, the author of Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto. (So you know it's legit.) The app features a Smart-Blur filter to help shield users from unwanted dick pics and explicit content until they're ready, and there's a Selfie-Verify feature to cut down on catfishing and fake profiles.

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A drawn hand holding a phone with the HER logo

HER

Best bisexual dating app for queer women

Who it's for:

HER is an award-winning app made for queer women by queer women, and it's the perfect place to go if you're tired of the only queer woman you know being your ex-girlfriend (we feel you). HER is the app that wants to "introduce you to every lesbian you've ever wanted to meet" and makes good on that promise with more than 10 million registered users worldwide. And this app isn't just for women — it also welcomes non-binary and gender-fluid folks. It's designed to be a queer space free of cis men. Hallelujah.

Why we picked this:

In the summer of 2019, HER revamped its minimalistic profiles to let users get more creative in categories like gender, sexuality, pronouns, diet preferences, and star signs — as well as a "What does this mean?" field in the sex, gender, and pronoun categories. There's also a space for a text bio where you can showcase your stand-up-worthy sense of humor, describe your job, and make clear what type of relationship you're looking for. The app has groups like "newly out," "in a relationship/finding friends," and "travelers" to help you find your people. All of this makes HER quite a well-rounded dating app platform.

"HER is a great option for bisexual women because it's inclusive," said Dr. Frankie Bashan, board-certified sex therapist, clinical psychologist, and founder of matchmaking service Little Gay Book, "but beware of lots of catfishers on this app in particular."

While it does have a problem with some bot profiles, HER's built-in features (from the profile identifiers to the community tab) ultimately make it one of the most open and inclusive apps for queer folks. For all these reasons, it's also one of the best dating apps specifically for bi women.

The Good

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A drawn hand holding a phone with the Hinge logo

Hinge

Best bisexual dating app for millennials

Who it's for:

People looking to go on a few dates with the same person — instead of everything turning into a friends-with-benefits situation — was a major blind spot for dating apps until Hinge blew up. The premise and user base might be in full-on Tinder and Bumble territory, but Hinge's unique profile criteria and algorithm set the scene for finding matches with real-life potential. When measuring user experiences during beta trials, Hinge discovered that 90 percent of users had a "great" first date, and 72 percent said they were open to a second date.

With Hinge's robust dating intention options, you'll see that not everyone is into finding their life partner on the app, but there's still an overwhelming amount of users who are team "long-term relationship."

Why we picked this:

Known for its (in)famous slogan, "the dating app designed to be deleted," Hinge actually has a ton of features that are meant to let you get to know someone on a deeper level. Cheesy questionnaires have been swapped for 100+ prompts, which are neatly organized into categories like "About me," "Storytime," "Self-Care," and "LGBTQ." The latter is a major win for all bisexuals everywhere. Hinge cleverly ditches the swipe model and requires users to like a particular part of someone's profile (which means putting some time into your profile pays off).

Olivia from Texas told us why she prefers Hinge over other apps: 

"I feel like because they place such a heavy emphasis on your personality with all the question prompts it helps it feel more romantic, which is more palatable to people who were raised to believe that the only way to meet people is some kind of meet-cute or something."

She also mentioned that she finds way more real bi girls than unicorn hunters on Hinge.

Beyond helping users make connections, Hinge makes an effort to help its LGBTQ+ user base feel supported by offering a queer-specific dating guide. As with any app, your mileage may vary while using Hinge (as Mashable writer Rachel Thompson describes in this essay), but overall, we think it's one of the best dating apps for bisexual folks.

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A drawn hand holding a phone with the Tinder logo

Tinder

Best bisexual dating app if you're newly out

Who it's for:

Tinder isn't exactly new in the dating game, but a classic is a classic. However, the Tinder experience is a mixed bag if you're a queer swiper. Every bi woman we talked to for this piece immediately brought up being scouted by other women users who were, of course, straight, in a relationship, and just looking to find a third for a threesome, aka unicorn hunting, the scourge of the bisexual dating community. The real kicker is that most of them conveniently don't mention their motive right away.

All things considered, you can't deny Tinder's role in connecting queer people who may not have signed up for a dating app otherwise. Despite an onslaught of gross opening lines from men who were simply blown away by the "bi" in her bio, Megan from Virginia found her current partner on Tinder. This isn't as uncommon a story as you might think — regardless of how awkward it is to tell your grandma or your wedding guests that you met your LOML on an app primarily used for hookups.

Keep in mind that because Tinder is the dating app of the masses, you'll get users with all sorts of beliefs and attitudes toward bisexuality. If you encounter anyone that's disrespectful, don't be afraid to report them for violating Tinder's community guidelines.

Why we picked this:

Tinder has helped many people explore their bisexuality and practice same-sex flirting for the first time. The now-ubiquitous swiping function gets shitted on for being shallow, but The Cut spoke to two people who said that the low-stakes vibe (less pressure than hitting up your first-ever gay bar) made it easy to explore their sexuality after years of dating one gender exclusively.

Since June 2019, Tinder's orientation options have included bisexual, asexual, pansexual, and six more. Users can decide whether or not that's made public and can also opt to be shown people of the same orientation first. Problematic daters can still work around this if they're that devoted, but it's an appreciated step toward making Tinder a safer space for LGBTQ+ users — something that should be at the top of every dating app's priorities list.

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A drawn hand holding a phone with the Bumble logo

Bumble

Best Tinder alternative

Who it's for:

If you're looking for something slightly more serious than Tinder — albeit with an eerily similar user base — Bumble's the dating app for you. Its famous "women send the first message" model can be especially reassuring for bi women who are tired of creepy messages from men (anyone can start the convo in a same-sex pairing, BTW).

Why we picked this:

In terms of the bi experience on Bumble, it's easy to look at people of all genders at the same time. However, profiles don't come with a tag to signify your own sexual orientation, so if you want people to know your bi, you'll have to throw it in your bio alongside some fitting emojis or make it known through one of the prompts. Bumble is one of the most popular dating apps in the game, so the chances you'll find someone good are high. And if you're looking for queer pals, Bumble BFF does have some LGBTQ-focused profile tags.

This app ups the stakes and discourages the type of dating app behavior everyone, not just bisexuals, is all too familiar with: Conversations taking months (and in-person meetings even longer to arrange), mainly because people are using the app more like a boredom buster and less like a genuine way to find a potential partner. Bumble matches go dead after 24 hours of no first messages — if you don't send a first message or your match fails to respond to your first message within 24 hours, the time for talk is over.

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A drawn hand holding a phone with the lex logo

Lex

Best LGBTQ+ social app

Who's it for:

Already on our roundup of best dating apps for lesbians and gay women, Lex is like a 2024 version of Craigslist personals (RIP) for the LGBTQ community. 

Lex originally started as an Instagram account called Personals, meant for sapphic people to find each other. It was inspired by personal ads in On Our Backs, a women-run lesbian erotica magazine that ran from the 1980s to the early 2000s.

Over time, it evolved into a community app for LGBTQ people. On Lex, you can find a date — or someone to go to an art show with, or a pet sitter, or a new potential friend.

Why we picked this:

"Apps like Lex often fly under the radar, but I adore its old-school Craigslist vibe," LMFT relationship therapist and writer at sugar daddy site Private Sugar Club, Hannah Reeves, told Mashable. "There's no endless swiping, just raw, unfiltered 'this is who I am, take it or leave it' energy. It's like meeting someone at a coffee shop instead of a nightclub, refreshing and a little nostalgic."

Lex is a great option if you're, say, someone new to queer dating and want to dip your toe into it. You can even find your queer "people" first — maybe someone to go out to the local lesbian bar with to scope out hotties. Lex also alleviates the pressure of picking out your six best photos (that some other apps require).

Lex is also free to use unless you want to check out posts in other locations. To do this, you must pay for "Lexplore," but the options are pretty affordable ($3.99 for one week or $5.99 for one month).

The Good

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Topics LGBTQ

How we tested

To make sure you're only getting recommendations for the best bisexual dating apps, we regularly log on to the top apps and spend time browsing around to see how their features perform in action. Whenever there's a new app on the scene, we make sure to give it a download and test it out in the wild.

We also scour online forums like Reddit to see what the general consensus is around dating apps: Looking at which ones people seem to gravitate toward and which ones people are consistently ditching. Whenever possible, we interview dating app users to get a sense of what they're feeling. We've also reached out to sex and relationships experts for their insights.

For our review of dating apps for bi people, we considered any features that were particularly useful for bisexual users — including sexual orientation tags, large user bases (so you don't see the same three people over and over), and profile prompts that specifically speak to the experience of dating as a bi person. For apps that lean more hetero-centric, we carefully weighed the pros and cons of what they offered bi users before making our recommendations.

After carefully researching the top dating apps, interviewing bisexual users, and downloading apps for ourselves, we settled on this comprehensive list of the best dating apps for bisexuals.

Note: We've decided to pull our recommendation for Feeld as of Aug. 2024. We've been keeping an eye on the app following their Dec. 2023 rebrand, which brought location-related safety concerns and other bugs. More recently, we’ve heard rumblings about further security issues, and in evaluating the scope of Feeld's issues since its rebrand, have decided to remove Feeld until we have more information.

Frequently Asked Questions


Bisexual women are sometimes referred to as "unicorns," someone to date or sleep with a (usually heterosexual) couple. Seeing as most LGBTQ people in America are bisexual, bi people aren't as rare as a mythical being — but finding one willing to have a threesome with a heterosexual couple might be seen as such. Thus there's the phrase "unicorn hunting," when a heterosexual couple scours dating apps in search of someone who wants to date or have sex with them.

Wanting a threesome in itself isn't a bad thing. What makes unicorn hunting "bad" is the fetishization of bisexual women (and people), and assuming that any of them will be willing to be your third. This isn't the case. As with any group, bisexual people aren't a monolith. Some will enthusiastically be part of a threesome, and others will unmatch at the proposition. 

If you're looking to attract the former type of person, be open about it. Don't trick people into matching with you on an app — by, say, pretending to be single, only to ambush someone with a first message like, "My boyfriend and I are looking for a threesome." No! Be honest from the get-go about what you're looking for: put it in your bio and have photos of both of you on your profile. Maybe you'll escape the "unicorn hunter" accusations.


If you're comfortable doing so, absolutely. If you have your "looking for" settings on for people of the same sex, those potential matches will know you're some flavor of LGBTQ anyway. In a study from eharmony and GLAAD on LGBTQ people and dating apps, 43 percent of bi daters said indicating their sexuality on apps gives them more options and helps confirm who is interested in them. 

It's not always easy to do so, however. In that same survey, 30 percent of cis bi men and women said it was emotionally difficult when they first disclosed their sexuality on dating apps. A majority (84 percent) of bisexual respondents and (74 percent) of all LGBTQ respondents said that bisexuality is still misunderstood in our society. Twenty-six percent of bi respondents even feel judged by others in the LGBTQ community. 

Still, it's usually a good idea to be upfront when on dating apps if you seriously want to meet people in person. 


The dating apps above are a good place to start! Daters of all types are on these apps, even — especially — general ones for all daters. 

And in case you're wondering if LGBTQ people are on dating apps, they are. Nearly one in three (32 percent) of LGBTQ Gen Z and millennial survey respondents said that dating apps are the third most popular place for them to come out, according to the eharmony and GLAAD data. If you're unsure whether you yourself are bi, you can use dating apps to explore your sexuality. Once again, honesty is key; let others know you're doing so, and they'll either be into it or unmatch you. 


Date however you want! There's no one way to be bisexual. 

Our advice is to — if we haven't repeated it enough — be honest about who you are. If someone doesn't like it, that's their problem. Also, know what you're looking for: a serious relationship? A hookup? There are apps for either option and everything in between.

It might not be easy, but neither is dating itself. In the era of TikTok theories and dance trends, we're all trying to figure out the whole "dating" thing. Going in open and honest is a good first step.


Grindr describes itself as the "world's largest social network for LGBTQ people," which (obviously) includes bisexual people. That being said, users have complained about biphobia on the app for years. Even though previous versions of this roundup included Grindr, we removed it from our recommendations as of April 2024.

Furthermore, Mashable has reported that Grindr users are complaining about increased product issues and paywalls as of October 2024. In a statement in that article, a Grindr spokesperson acknowledged the problem. That same month, Grindr announced a "wingman" AI that could come to the app in 2027. It remains to be seen how the chatbot will interact with users and fit within the app's infrastructure.  

Bethany Allard, Tabitha Britt, Stacia Datskovska, and Leah Stodart contributed reporting.

anna iovine, a white woman with curly chin-length brown hair, smiles at the camera
Anna Iovine
Associate Editor, Features

Anna Iovine is associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on X @annaroseiovine.


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